Legislation - Policy

Gila River Indian Community Approves Major Deal to Provide Water to CAP

Photo: Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community. Gage Skidmore/Flickr

In a major step forward for Arizona’s Drought Contingency Plan negotiations, the Gila River Indian Community Council voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of a deal to supply water to the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District.

Under the deal, the Gila River Indian Community would supply the district, often referred to as CAGRD, with up to 830,000 acre-feet of desperately needed water over the next 25 years, starting in 2020. The board of the Central Arizona Project, which governs CAGRD, approved the deal in a meeting at the beginning of November [2018 —ed.].

The deal would help ensure that developers in Arizona can continue to build well into the future. (The question of whether that should happen is a debate for another day.)

“We believe our action today helps build momentum to have Arizona approve DCP and protect Lake Mead, but at the same time ensure that water supplies are available for an important sector of Arizona’s economy," Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis said in a statement Wednesday.

But, in a strategic move as DCP negotiations continue, Lewis has not yet signed the deal between the Gila River Indian Community and CAGRD.

That moment will have to wait until Arizona’s DCP is passed by the Arizona Legislature and signed by the state. In other words, if the DCP doesn’t happen, neither does the CAGRD deal.

Lewis alluded to this contingency in his statement Wednesday, as he explained how the negotiations for the CAGRD deal had proceeded in recent months.

"The Community had been very concerned that DCP might not happen and was re-examining whether these agreements were the best use of our water supplies in times of shortage," he […]

More about policy and water in Arizona:

‘If there’s no water, what’s the point?’ Female farmers in Arizona

What you don’t know about the water law that saved Arizona

Who controls the water? Arizona agencies slug it out

The Water Wars of Arizona

Summary
Article Name
Gila River Indian Community Approves Major Deal to Provide Water to CAP
Description
If signed, the Gila River Indian Community will supply Arizona's CAGRD district with up to 830,000 acre-feet of needed water over 25 years starting in 2020.
Author
Publisher Name
Phoenix New Times
Publisher Logo

Recent Posts

LA River restoration connects us back to ‘the life force of our city’

Los Angeles residents at a section of the Los Angeles River cleanup in Los Angeles,…

2 days ago

LAist: New study raises questions about heavy metals in fire retardants

Over the past decade, about 67 million gallons of fire retardant have been dropped on…

2 days ago

Meadow and watershed restoration in the Golden Trout Wilderness

Photo: Golden Trout Wilderness Seeking blue, seeing gold The Kern Plateau features a chain of…

3 days ago

First sighting of salmon in 100 years marks key milestone for California dam removal

For the first time in more than a century, a salmon was observed swimming through Klamath…

1 week ago

Developing state water roadmaps is essential

New turnout facility from the California Aqueduct on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. Officials say the…

2 weeks ago

Migration Matters: Breaking Down Barriers to Migration

Over the past century, humans have constructed major transportation infrastructure like highways, bridges, railroads, and…

3 weeks ago